Duality
by LaLa Land 14
Summary: Piper's life was divided into two segments: her abusive 'uncle' and the good girl image she was forced to keep for the sake of his political aspirations, and her dreams of getting away from the rainy little town her mother had left her in all those years ago. Both are shaken when a boy from La Push waltzes into her life with a sunny smile and a promise of sanctuary. Warnings inside
1. Prologue

**Warning: This prologue contains brief, forced sexual contact.**

Piper Mckay had never needed anyone. Her mother, a teenage prostitute turned junkie, had brought her seven-year-old daughter to an intimidating, white two-story house in the western neighborhood of Forks where many of the town's budding politicians lived. The home belonged to Piper's father, Jonathon Holmes, who was running for city council at the time and soon found himself saddled with the young girl once her mother had run off.

Of course, with the election coming up, Jonathon needed to keep his reputation spotless and if the tiny, gossip mongering town of Forks found out he had fathered an illegitimate child, let alone the child of a teenaged heroin whore, he would be blacklisted.

So he spun the web of lies carefully. A niece, he told people. His sister back East had fallen ill and left the child in his care. It explained the resemblance between them and no one questioned it when the years passed and the mother didn't return. Oh, a turn for the worse he would say. A special hospital up North. Terminal.

When it came time for the election, after nearly a year of prolonging his imaginary sister's illness, he killed her off. People ate the story up. Jonathon Holmes the saint. The man who cared for his troubled niece, despite his own ambitions.

Behind closed doors, Piper never stood a chance. She became a replacement for her mother. Jonathon tolerated her, true enough, but when he took to drinking his nightly glass of whiskey, he turned mean.

She hid the bruises and scars with long sleeves and baggy clothes and held her tongue until one day, Jonathon went too far. She was only eleven.

 _Piper lay on the closet floor, huddled against the cold floorboards and struggling to contain her harsh breathing, knowing he would hear. He had ordered her to bed an hour ago after she had spilled his whiskey refill on the pristine white rug in the den. The feel of his fist connecting with her jaw was enough to make her head pound painfully. The heavy, pronounced thud of his footsteps against the hardwood floor outside the door sent chills down her spine and she immediately froze in terror, a terrified whimper escaping her dry throat._

 _The bright light from the hall fell upon her tear-streaked face and matted red hair, revealing a shirtless Jonathon grasping the neck of a beer bottle as he sneered down at his young daughter. "Get your ass up, you look shameful down there sniveling."_

 _Slowly and gracelessly, Piper clambered to her feet, tugging her faded, old sweatshirt down over her hands nervously. Her hair hung in greasy, tangled waves over her face and it only infuriated him more. His large hand reached down and she flinched away on instinct, only to cry out in pain as his fingers grip her hair, tugging at her scalp. "P-Please!"_

 _"Stop your whining...sound just like your good for nothing mother." His fist held her hair firmly as he dragged her out of the small linen closet she was hiding in. She cried out softly, trying not to anger him any further as she struggled to get her footing, trying in vain to stop the sharp pain in her head as her small body bumped against the doorway to his bedroom. He lifted her easily, still in great shape for a man nearing 40, and tossed her carelessly on his bed, ruffling his smooth, grey bedding. "Just like your useless whore of a mother..."_

 _Piper curled up into the fetal position, trying to shield herself from the inevitable hits as she sobbed quietly against the mattress. "Please, sir, please..."_

 _"Shut up." His hand gripped her delicate throat, pinning her head to the bed as he knelt beside her, slamming his bottle of beer onto the nightstand. "You're going to grow up and be a whore just like her...You think you can act all innocent...walking around here like you deserve this house..."_

 _"I-I don't..." She murmurs, her voice shaking before he tightens his hand around her throat, putting pressure on her windpipe and jerking a harsh gasp from her throat as he leaned over her, his thick, reddish blonde hair tussled and lending him an unruly look to match the unhinged, glassy look in his eyes._

 _"Damn right, you don't. If it weren't for me you'd be out on the streets with nothing..." His eyes raked across her slim body, a small smirk forming on his lips. "And I think I know how you can repay me for all of my kindness..."_

 _"W-what?" The young girl gasped, shrinking into the soft mattress in fear, hot tears creating fresh tracks down her cheeks as she stared up at her caretaker. "No...No!"_

 _His hand tightened on her throat, restricting her breathing completely as he snarled, "You don't get to tell me no!"_

 _She could smell the strong odor of alcohol on his breath and the bile rose from her stomach as she struggled beneath him, her vision darkening around the edges as he held her delicate throat in his strong grip. "P...lease.."_

 _Just before her vision faded completely, he let go and moved off of her. She rolled onto her stomach in an effort to get away from him, coughing against the silk sheets as she panted desperately for the air he had deprived her of. She missed the sound of his belt buckle being undone and his pants falling to the floor, but she stiffened as soon as she felt his weight pressing down against her back, something warm and thick brushing against her lower back. "Your mom was nothing but a whore...Just like you are now..." His words slurred, ending with a grunt as he tugged on her jeans, ignoring her weak kicks as though they were nothing but the breeze and yanking the thick denim to her knees._

 _Piper buried her face in the pillow, shrieking and squirming against his powerful grip as he thrust his hips against her white panty covered butt. "Please, Jonathon, please stop!"_

 _The older man ignored her pleas and sobs, thrusting firmly against her panties as he wound one arm around her waist, holding her tightly and rendering her immobile with her arms trapped against her body. "Shut up."_

 _"Daddy!" It was the one thing she had never called him. She was forbidden from giving any sign that they were anything but uncle and niece, and at home, she was supposed to call him sir. It was a sign of respect, he told her. "Daddy, please don't hurt me..."_

 _He froze in his movements, staring down at the betrayed, terrified face of the young girl beneath him, her dark, soulful eyes peering over her shoulder and shining with unshed tears. With a grunt, he sat back and shook his head, tucking himself back into his underwear and muttering, "Go to bed." When she didn't move, he barked loudly, "I said go! Are you deaf now too?"_

 _Piper needed no more encouragement. She darted off the bed, holding her jeans up as she ran down the hallway and back to her bedroom in the back of the house, leaving him to stew in his own emotions._

From that day onward, the night was never mentioned. Jonathon began giving her a weekly allowance on the promise that she didn't do anything to jeopardize his political chances. She joined every after-school activity possible- drama, art club, the debate team, the chess team, the yearbook committee. Anything that would keep her out of the house and make her look like the prodigal niece Jonathon wanted her to portray.

She managed to maintain the image of the popular overachiever until the day before her seventeenth birthday when she met _him._

 **Hello! This story is going to be a lot darker than my other Twilight story, How Do You Want It?, and I hope no one is offended by the events of this prologue. I put warnings at the beginning for a reason.**

 **The title is taken from the song Duality by Slipknot, which I do not own.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think, I hope to have another update for this story and HDYWI sometime this weekend and I'd love some feedback!**


	2. Knew him forever in a minute

It was a sunny day in August, early one Friday afternoon after their half-day of school had ended and Piper had driven home to Jonathon's house. Macy Newton and Lisa Malone had talked her into coming to a bonfire down at the La Push reservation after much pleading and bargaining on their part. She had never ventured onto the reservation, knowing Jonathon wouldn't approve and it would only earn her more bruises that she'd have to hide. It was hard enough to hide the vivid, sickly green and blue splotches he left, her usual sweaters and jackets too hot to wear in the summer heat.

Thankfully he had been busy these past few weeks and hadn't been home often enough for her to provoke his anger, so her pale body was unmarked and she could wear her yellow, backless swimsuit without worrying about showing the evidence of Jonathon's rage.

"Piper, do you want to ride with me?" Macy sat on the edge of Piper's rumpled bed, flipping through the latest issue of Seventeen magazine and humming softly while Piper packed a towel and some sunscreen into her yellow tote bag.

"Sure, since I don't know the way there." She slipped her red, square-framed sunglasses onto her face as Macy let out a soft sigh and stood up, adjusting her tiny, cutoff shorts.

"Really, Piper, I can't believe you've lived here for, what, 10 years? And you've never gone to La Push!" The dainty blonde shook her head in disbelief and headed down the stairs, Piper following behind her and slipping her sandals on as she walked.

"I told you, beaches aren't my thing." Piper couldn't stop herself from rolling her dark brown eyes, glad the bubbly girl couldn't see.

Macy turned to give her friend a smirk as she hopped off the porch and leaned against the driver's side door of her BMW. "Maybe the beaches aren't, but have you seen those Quiluete boys? Pure hotness, no joke!"

Piper couldn't help but chuckle as she activated the security system and locked the door like Jonathon always told her to before she stepped off the porch and walked over to the little red car parked at the curb. "Didn't a Quiluete boy almost rip your brother's head off once?"

"Irrelevant." Piper got into the car, pulling her curly, honey blonde hair back into a loose ponytail as Piper sat her bag in the back and got in as well, running a hand through her thick, red hair and resting her elbow on the door. "Besides, I forget you're basically married to Logan by now."

"He wishes. Last week I told him not to call me anymore unless he learned how to not be an obnoxious twit." Piper sighs at the mention of her ex-boyfriend, glancing to the side and watching the trees turn into a blur of deep green leaves as Macy drives towards the winding road leading out of Forks.

"And next week you two will be back together like always." Macy rolls her ocean blue eyes, glancing at her friend and smirking knowingly. "You've been on and off with him since like our freshman year, when are you going to accept the fact you two are perfect for each other?"

"When he shows he has an interest in more than the country club and my uncle's praise." Piper raises on thin eyebrow at Macy, her pouty, pink lips set in a firm frown. "You know he broke a date with me last Friday to help my uncle campaign?"

"You can't really blame him though, Mr. Holmes is helping him a lot. If he gets into politics, you'll never have to worry about anything," Macy says softly, trying to console the obviously irritated girl.

Piper scoffed softly, shaking her head as she relaxes in the soft leather seat. "It doesn't even matter. Can we drop this, please?"

Macy raised her hands in mock surrender, steering the car momentarily with her knee on the bottom of the wheel. "Yes, Princess Piper."

Piper laughed softly and closed her eyes, relaxing for the rest of the drive as she thought about what Macy had said. _This time will be different. We're done and if he thinks he can come running back into my arms again, he's going to get a rude wakeup call._

oooooooooo

Lisa was already laying out on the beach when they got there, her golden-tanned skin glistening and contrasting with her white bikini as she relaxed, pretending to be oblivious to the attention her hourglass figure was garnering. Macy spread her towel out beside Lisa's and stripped her shorts and halter top off, sprawling out in her baby blue bikini, massaging her tanning lotion into her skin.

Piper spread her own towel on the damp sand beside Macy, sitting down with her white kimono cover-up wrapped tightly around her body as she looked around the crowded beach. There were couples kissing in the sand, friends playing in the water, and children running around, playing and eating popsicles and ice cream, making her smile as she let herself relax a little more.

Her daze was broken by Macy's impatient sigh. "Piper, are you gonna stay wrapped in that the whole time?"

"You know Miss Prude over there probably will," Lisa says casually, rolling her eyes as she raises up on her elbows to look over at them, her perfectly drawn on brows arched as she peers over her oversized Quay sunglasses.

"Well, we all can't be Kim Kardashian wannabes like you, Lisa," Piper remarks airily, standing up and letting her kimono fall off of her shoulders with a challenging glance at the older girl as if daring her to make a comment.

Lisa scoffed softly before laying back down with a graceful shrug. "At least we know who the jealous one is."

Piper merely rolls her eyes, used to the girl's snippy comments, and walks down the beach a little way to the tide, letting the cool water splash against her ankles. Moments later, a soft hand nudges her bare shoulder and she turns to look down into Macy's worried eyes. "Don't let her get to you, Pips. You know how she gets."

"I know, Mace. She doesn't bother me, I just wanted to come see the water." She smiles as she leans down and hugs the tiny blonde, towering over her 5'0" frame at 5'7" and counting. "Thank you for checking on me though."

"Anytime, Piper." Macy smiles and hugs the taller girl back, then squeals and pulls away as she notices the crowd of tanned bodies coming down the beach. "Hotness alert!"

Piper rubs her ringing ear, turning to check out what Macy was gaping at and feeling her eyes widen a fraction. Macy was not exaggerating, the three boys walking down the beach were pure muscle and, by the looks of it, they knew how to use it to their advantage. "Who are they?"

Macy whispered as she pointed down the row of boys, "That perfect male specimen is Paul Lahote, the rez bad boy. Beside him is Jared Cameron, you probably know him from the Tribal baseball team. He's dating Kim Whitefeather though, so he's pretty much off limits."

Piper's eyes roamed Paul's body, from his arrogant smirk to the deep V that disappeared beneath his black board shorts. _Damn, Logan doesn't have that..._ Her eyes moved over to Jared, her nose crinkling a little as she glances at him then moves on to the last boy, not wanting to cause any drama with his girlfriend. The last boy was stockier than the other two, shorter but broader with a headful of curly hair. He was winking at girls as he passed them, puffing his chest out as he smirked. Piper didn't find him particularly attractive, but Macy squealed happily again and jumped up and down, waving. Piper sighed, trying to hide her face in her hand in embarrassment, "Macy, what are you doing?"

Macy ignored her, dashing over to the boys and diving into the stocky boy's waiting arms. "Quilly!"

"Quilly?" Piper mutters to herself, walking over to the group as the boy spins Macy in a circle, holding her to his chest and laughing. "Uh...Hi." The one Macy had identified as Paul gave her a raffish smirk, his eyes raking down her body as if he could see through her swimsuit. She automatically crossed her arms over her chest, raising one eyebrow at him as she snaps, "Are your eyes broken?"

Paul lets out a loud, braying laugh and shakes his head. "Damn, a ginger with an attitude."

Piper rolls her eyes as she turns to look at Macy only to find the blonde with her tongue down Quilly's throat. "Are they going to come up for air anytime soon?"

"Yeah, they'll cool off after a while. They always do this." Jared gives her a genial smile and she finds herself liking him more than the other two, returning his smile hesitantly. "What's your name? I haven't seen you with her before."

"I'm Piper," She says, tucking a stray lock of her fiery hair behind her ear. "I uhm...I've never been to La Push before."

Jared's eyes widen a fraction in surprise before he grins, throwing an arm over her shoulders. "Well then, you gotta come to the bonfire with us. Trust me, our parties are legendary, you can't miss it."

"I guess I can stick around for it." Piper grins up at him, finding his cheerfulness contagious as she relaxes under the heavy weight of his arm.

oooooooooo

The boys escorted the three girls to a burnt out bonfire circle further down the beach where fewer people were roaming. "Just sit tight and we'll be back to start the fire, okay?" Jared smiled down at Piper, finally moving his arm from where he had been holding her protectively.

She nods and smiles as she steps away, running a hand through her hair. "Alright."

As she turns away from her newfound friend, she nearly bumps into Lisa who's attached to Paul like a leech. _That actually makes a lot of sense._ She thinks to herself as the older girl glares at her, her arms wrapped possessively around Paul's slim waist. Backing away from them, she sits down on one of the logs surrounding the pit and relaxes, glancing up at the orange-hued sky as the sun set slowly behind the mountains.

A few long minutes pass before she sees a shadow coming up behind her on the sand and automatically jumps up ready to swing, years of living with Jonathon making her paranoid. The slim, shirtless boy behind her holds his hands out in front of him in peace, chuckling softly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I'm Embry."

"My fault, I overreacted. I'm Piper." She smiles softly at the boy, blushing as she realizes she's captured the attention of her friends and their boy-toys. "Sorry..."

"You're fine." He smiles, then turns to Paul and Quil as he plops into the sand. "Jacob will be here in a minute. He had to drag himself out of his pit of Bella-induced agony to get ready, so he's kinda pissy."

"Baby Alpha is always pissy," Paul laughs, his hand straying from Lisa's side and brushing against the swell of her breast as he trails his lips down her neck. Embry and Piper share an eye roll then laugh together as she sits back down on her log.

"So, Piper, what's a red-haired paleface like you doing on Native land?" Embry jokes, glancing up at her with an easy-going grin to show he's teasing.

Piper laughs softly, nudging him with the toe of her flip-flop as she raises one eyebrow. "Why're you singling me out? They're palefaces too."

"Yeah, but at the rate they sleep with Paul and Quil, they have more than enough Native DNA in them to qualify." Embry laughs, dodging the handful of sand that Quil splashes at him.

Piper laughs, covering her mouth to muffle the sound as she shakes her head. "Ew, Embry. TMI, thank you."

"At least you've never had to see it." He fakes an overexaggerated shiver of disgust, grinning as she giggles and opens his mouth to respond again, only to notice the shadowy figure walking up to the group. "Well look who the wolf dragged in!"

The boys chuckled as if it were some kind of inside joke before Paul called out, "What's wrong, Jakey? Bella busy with her boyfriend?"

"Fuck you, Lahote." The boy grumbled, plopping into the sand beside Embry and staring into the fire disinterestedly. Piper watched him from the corner of her eye, trying not to make it obvious.

He didn't have the arrogance or the air of danger like Paul, nor the cheerfulness and carefree smile of Jared, but she felt drawn to him for some reason. He had a decent amount of stubble growing on his cheeks and his hair was unbrushed and sticking up from his head in odd tufts, yet she could tell he could be cute if he only took care of himself. His dark, nearly black eyes moved suddenly and locked onto hers, widening in shock as she let out a soft gasp.

She felt something in her shifting, attaching to him like she had never felt. It felt as though she was a tetherball, swinging in tight circles around an unwavering, stable center. Evidently, he felt it too because his lips turned up in the ghost of a sunny smile as he leaned forward, resting one hand in the sand beside her foot as if he wanted to touch her but wasn't sure how she'd react. "I'm Jacob..." His voice sounded the smoothest velvet she had ever felt, making her blush deepen as she wondered how deep his voice could go.

A soft, rosy blush colored her pale cheeks as she let out a soft, uncharacteristic giggle, playing with a lock of her hair. "I'm Piper."

Neither of them noticed the shocked, confused stares of their friends from across the bonfire Jared had begun building with scraps of driftwood.

"I haven't seen you around before...are you new?" He never took his eyes off of hers, his fingertips gently brushing against her ankle as he inched closer to her, away from Embry's side.

"New to La Push, I guess, but I've lived in Forks since I was a kid." Piper smiles as his fingertips send flares of heat along her spine and she feels butterflies fluttering in her stomach. _You've just met the guy and you're ready to drop your panties, slow it down...besides, what if Jonathon found out you were even looking at a Quiluete boy?_ Just imagining his reaction was enough to make her pull away from Jacob's grasp and stand up, pulling her kimono on over her white shorts and yellow swimsuit. "I um...I'm gonna go for a walk."

As she walked down the beach, she pretended not to notice the hurt look on Jacob's face. _It's better this way..._

oooooooooo

She had only been gone for a minute when she sensed his presence behind her as if the string attaching her to him was suddenly shorter and she spun faster around him. "What do you want, Jacob?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay...I'm sorry if I came on too strong back there." He murmurs, jogging to catch up to her side as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

She tried to stay stern but failed as soon as she looked up into his hurt brown eyes. "It's nothing you did, Jacob...Just my own issues."

"I'm a good listener if you want to talk." He matches her slow, casual pace as he looks out at the indigo sky reflecting in the waters. "It's a beautiful night." He added when she made no move to respond.

She nods, looking up at the nearly full moon and smiling softly. "It is..."

"C'mon...what's wrong?" He grabs her wrist gently, pulling her arms from where she had crossed them over her chest. "I won't tell anyone."

Piper bites her plump bottom lip gently, staring down at his hand on her wrist, noticing how much darker his hand was than hers. "I...My uncle won't like me being here very much...especially if he finds out I was with a boy..."

"There's no one around to rat on you..." He tugs her wrists gently, pulling her closer to his bare chest as he wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Her hands come up to rest on his chest, his heat sending tiny sparks through her fingers as she tried to keep a few inches of space between their bodies. "I don't sleep with guys I just met."

"Who said I wanted to sleep with you? I just want a chance to get to know an awesome redhead I met at a bonfire." He smiles down at her and she finds herself falling all over again, her lips turning up into a soft grin.

"So you don't want to bang me?" She teases, a soft blush on her cheeks as she pokes his chest softly. _Dear god, he's solid as a rock..._

He shakes his head solemnly, laughing softly. "Not at all. Your body repulses me."

"Good, keep it that way." She laughs, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek softly. "Let's go back to the others?"

"Sure thing." Before she can react, he crouches down and slings her over his shoulder cave-men style. She shrieks, gripping the waist of his cutoff shorts for dear life as she squirms and giggles, her legs kicking futilely against his hard chest as he carried her back to the party.

By the time they made it back, Jared had lit the bonfire and one of the girls was playing music on their phone. Lisa and Paul were laying in the sand, a tangle of tanned limbs and dark hair, while Macy and Quil were dancing. Or more accurately, Macy was grinding against him as he held her hips and stared at her ass in bliss. As Jacob set her down gingerly, Piper scoffed at the sight, meeting Embry's eyes and giggling softly as he fakes a gagging gesture. Jacob's warm hands remain on her hips, sending a pleasant warmth throughout her stomach as she listens more closely to the song playing. "Oh, I love this song! Dance?" She looks up at Jacob, biting her lip softly as if waiting for him to refuse like Logan always did.

Instead of saying no, Jacob gave her his signature, sunny grin and nodded, grabbing her hand and stepping a little closer to the fire so that he could see her in the light. "Of course." She wrapped her slim arms around his neck, laying her head gently on his chest and relaxing as they sway together.

" _She just wants to be beautiful, she goes unnoticed, she knows no limits, she craves attention, she praises an image she prays to be, sculpted by the sculptor..."_ Piper sang softly to herself, her eyelashes fluttering as her eyes slip closed.

Jacob listened to her soft voice, his hands gently massaging her slim hips, then slipping lower to rest on the swell of her ass, pressing his lips against her forehead. She gazes up at him, smiling softly and blushing as she finds her face inches from his, slowly leaning into him as she whispers, "Still repulsive?"

"Totally," He mutters under his breath, his eyes slipping closed as his lips brush against her soft, plump ones. The song changes suddenly and a more fast-paced beat starts, driving the two teens apart as the moment is broken. Piper turns to glare at Macy who was holding her phone with a guilty grin.

"Sorry...that song is just so overplayed." She sets her phone back down as the loud rap song played and Piper let out a soft sigh, leaning back against Jacob's warm chest, slowly rolling her hips to the beat as Camila Cabello's voice sang about Havana.

Jacob's hands held her hips as she rocked her ass against him gently, a grin growing on her lips as she let herself relax and have fun. He grinned as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the vein pulsing in her shoulder, listening to her heartbeat speeding up at his touch. He could feel himself growing hard in his jeans but was powerless to hide it with her grinding and dancing against him like she was. If she noticed, she didn't mention it and, when the song ended and another started, she didn't pull away.

"Hey, Jacob?" She asked softly, leaning back against him as Paul and Lisa left the little gathering, their clothing rumpled already.

Jacob hummed softly, resting his chin on her shoulder although he had to crouch down a little to do so. "Yeah, Piper?"

Before Piper could speak what was on her mind, a car swung into the parking lot up the beach, it's bright headlights shining on the teenagers as they danced. Piper's heart sank into the soggy sand beneath her feet when she recognized Jonathon's black Mercedes. _I'm so dead._

 ** _And here is chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed it, and if anyone has any suggestions or request I'll do my best to make them a reality. The song Piper sings is Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara._**

 ** _Please remember to review, and thank you for reading!_**


	3. I'm so into you I can barely breathe

Saturday morning Piper woke up on her bedroom floor, curled up against the door in the fetal position in case Jonathon came back for more. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each as she cracked her eyes open, blinking at the bright sunlight shining in through her sheer, white curtains. Her eyes moved around her bedroom, regaining her senses slowly before she even thought about attempting to unfold herself, knowing that was when the real pain would start.

With a soft, scratchy sigh, she started to unfurl her legs first since they were the least hurt. The joints in her knees popped and she could feel the stickiness on her thighs from where Jonathon had thrown his glass of liquor at her. Her eyes slid down to assess the damage and saw glittering specks of glass embedded in the soft flesh of her thigh. _I guess I didn't dodge it as well as I thought._ When her long legs were finally straightened, she slowly squirmed her hips to scoot away from the door, feeling the tender, aching bruises as they pressed against the hardwood floor. Once her hips were away from the wall, she slowly unwrapped her arms from her stomach, whimpering softly when her sore shoulder protested and she could feel the familiar click of the joint where it had been dislocated over the years.

Piper felt like a newborn deer when she finally dragged herself to her feet, her legs wobbling and her hands clutching the wall and her desk as she stumbled into the bathroom adjoined to her bedroom. Mechanically, she forced her stiff, sore limbs to comply as she stripped her torn swimsuit and liquor and blood-stained white shorts off, tossing them bitterly into the trashcan beside the toilet before standing in front of the mirror, examining the bruises on her face with the detached professionalism of a surgeon, as if it wasn't her own flesh bruised black and blue, her bottom lip bloody where she had bitten it too hard to stifle her cries of pain.

 _I can cover them._ She decided, grabbing the bottle of heavy coverage foundation and orange concealer she saved for times when Jonathon lost his senses and bruised her face. Usually, he stuck to her body, not wanting to take a chance on anyone noticing anything she couldn't cover, but sometimes he lost that little bit of composure and swung wildly. The makeup sat on the marble countertop as she lifted her leg, twisting her hip slightly as her toes gripped the edge of the counter, bringing her leg closer into view as she grabbed the tweezers from her everyday makeup tray.

As she pulled the tiny, sparkling slivers from her skin she mentally relived the night before, dancing in Jacob's arms, his heat warming her like the fireplace downstairs that she only used when Jonathon was out of town. Each time Jonathon's fist or foot connected with her body last night, she imagined the bright smile he gave her when she pressed against him to dance and it took her mind off the abuse, but only made her long for the boy's embrace again. This morning, she could feel that tetherball string tightening as she resolved to never go back to the beach on the reservation again, not wanting to lead him on when she knew already it was impossible to be with him.

oooooooooo

After she caked on her foundation, covering the bruises on her face, she threw on a cami and a pair of pajama pants with a cardigan over top to hide the swelling of her shoulder joint and the deep blue and green areas on her arms, just in case anyone stopped by. Jonathon had left for a day of golf at the country club in Port Angeles and she knew he rarely returned before nightfall, so she grabbed her thin, fuzzy throw blanket and her spiral notebook, sitting down on the front steps and beginning to write.

 _August 8 ~_

 _I went to the beach last night, just to get Macy off of my back. She'd been bugging me since last summer to come with her and Lisa, and I was running out of excuses. I met some really nice people there, boys who made me laugh and who could just sit and relax without putting on a pretentious facade. But one boy was different, he made me laugh and made my heart flutter like a butterfly's wings. We danced together, and I swear I felt like I was falling for him right there on that beach after just a minute of knowing him._

 _It turned bad quickly, though, as it always does. Jonathon found out where I was from Mrs. Newton. He came and got me from the party. I could already tell he'd been drinking, but he hid it well in front of everyone. As soon as we were in the car, driving down the long, winding road that led through the reservation and into Forks, he made sure I knew exactly what was coming, then stayed silent the rest of the drive. I think it's worse when he's quiet. It means he's thinking, calculating the best way to attack so that it hurts the most._

 _We walked into the house calm enough, but the moment the front door shut I felt his fist between my shoulder blades, knocking me down. He didn't let up until he ran out of breath, leaving me in a sobbing heap in the foyer as he went to his liquor cabinet and grabbed his latest drink of choice, a bottle of Crème de menthe his coworkers had gifted him after naming him Politician of the Month or Man of the Week or some other ridiculous award that probably involved money going from his hand to someone else's._ _He came back with a bourbon glass of it, watching me crawl towards the stairs. I should know better by now, most of the time I do know better. Running only pisses him off more._

 _I don't exactly know when I passed out, but it was after he dragged me up the stairs, throwing me into the doorframe like a ragdoll while his hands tore at my clothes. My swimsuit is in shreds now, and my shorts are stained with the green liquor and the blood from where his nails left scratches on my hips and my stomach._

 _This is why Jacob has to stay a memory, not a reality. In exactly one year, I will be free from Jonathon's grasp and I don't plan on looking back once I pass the Welcome to Forks sign. I want to be as far away from that monster as possible, so why should I start anything with Jacob when it would only make Jonathon angrier? I don't care how my heart flutters, or how his arms felt like the safest place in the world...I can't bring him into my life, and I don't belong in his._

 _Oh yeah, before I forget...Happy birthday to me._

With a soft sigh, she put the cap on her pen and shut the notebook, holding it in her lap as she looked up at the soft, baby blue sky. _Not a cloud in sight..._

Down the street, a familiar, white Range Rover Evoque turned the corner and she groaned softly. _Logan is the last thing I need right now._ Hoping to get inside before he saw her, she hurried to the front door only to tense up when she heard the engine cut off at the curb.

"Piper!" Logan's voice called out and she could hear the sound of his boat shoes thunking against the pavement as he hurried across the sidewalk. "Where are you going?"

"Inside. There are one too many Logans around here for my taste." Piper mutters, opening the screen door, then wincing as his hand closed around her wrist, his fingertips digging into one of the bruises. "Let me go."

"We need to talk, Pip. I know you think this is what you want, but you can't honestly believe you don't need me." He spins her around to face him, his ocean blue eyes searching hers in disbelief as if he couldn't believe any girl would voluntarily dump _the_ Logan Shepard, future senator, and an all-around good guy.

"I don't need you. All you want me for is a trophy wife to make you look good at tea parties, then suck you off in the back of your car." She yanks her arm away, ignoring the sharp pains that ran up her arm from the jerking motion, and opens the door to step inside.

"Pip, that's not true! C'mon, I know I've been busy these past few weeks...just let me make it up to you." His hands caress her hips as he places a feather-light kiss on her neck, just above the soft cotton of her cardigan.

Normally, she would've been alright with him coming inside and hanging out, or even fooling around if she wasn't hiding the massive marks Jonathon left behind. But now, she stiffened completely at his touch, that tetherball string tightening around her heart until it was racing so fast she was sure she was having a heart attack. "N-no, Logan..."

Mistaking the hitch in her breath for one of pleasure, he smirked against her soft skin and tightened his grip on her waist. 'You know you want me, Piper, just give in."

"Go away. Don't come back or I swear..." She let the threat hang in the air as she dashed inside and slammed the door in Logan's shocked face, leaning against it as she prayed for her heart to calm. _I can't go out because of a heart attack...not after surviving Jonathon Holmes..._

Slowly, her heart rate returned to normal and she was able to breathe normally again after a few minutes of deep, gasping breaths. After sending a quick thank you to whatever god was on her side at that moment, she returned to her room and laid on her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling as she played with the gold butterfly pendant that always hung in the hollow of her throat, unaware of the reddish-brown wolf watching the house from the treeline.

oooooooooo

Sunday passed slowly, with Piper joining a now-sober Jonathon at church, then a neighborhood picnic hosted by the Young Women's Club. Macy was there, and Piper managed to gain Jonathon's approval to sit with her, relaxing once she was sitting in the plastic lawn chair across from her friend with a glass of ice cold lemonade n her hand. "Hey, Macy."

"Hey. Your uncle didn't ground you or anything, did he? He seemed pretty angry." Macy peered at Piper from beneath the brim of her oversized, white sunhat as she twirled a straw in her glass of lemonade, her eyes sparkling with unasked questions.

 _Oh, no. Just beat the ever-loving hell out of me._ She forced a smile and shook her head, taking a sip from her own glass as she tugged at the collar of her cardigan. It was far too hot for the sweater, but her bruises were just now turning a sickly green and she couldn't hide them under her sleeveless dress. "No, just a lecture. So, uhm..." She searched for a quick escape, a change of subject to distract the girl.

Before she could find one, Macy giggled and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "It sucks you had to leave, I think Jacob would've done anything you wanted if you asked."

"We only danced, Macy. You're acting like the guy was in love with me." Piper's eyes drop to her glass, watching the ice cubes floating and slowly melting as she taps her nails gently along the outside rim.

Macy shrugged, leaning back in her seat and smoothing her baby pink dress over her knees. "All I'm saying is I've never seen a guy look at a girl they just met like that. Maybe you should go back down there soon, visit a little."

"I'm not going to go all the way to La Push to bang a guy I spent an hour with at a bonfire!" Piper whisper-shouted, then sighed as she glanced around the gathering to make sure no one was listening as she whispered more quietly, "Besides, Jonathon would never let me."

"Do you tell your uncle every time you have sex?" Macy raised one thin eyebrow, her lips quirked up into a smirk. "You need some excitement."

"I can have excitement without hopping on the first guy I meet." Piper sighs, rolling her eyes then stiffening in her seat as she sees Jonathon walking over with a young, elegant brunette on his arm. _Shit, who's this?_

"Hello, girls. Having fun?" Jonathon smiled down at them, his eyes skimming across Piper's body almost imperceivably as she tried not to flinch, seeing the way his eyes darkened for a second before he turned to the woman on his arm. "This is Lydia Marshall, my new campaign manager. I was hoping you could make her feel welcome."

"Always, Mr. Holmes." Macy smiled sweetly, offering her hand to the woman gracefully. "I'm Macy Newton, it's lovely to meet you."

"I'm Piper McKay, Jonathon's niece." Piper's mouth felt like someone had forced a bundle of cotton into her throat as she forced a smile on her lips, shaking the young woman's hand gently before clasping her hands in her lap. The familiar routine felt like a bad script that she was forced to repeat over and over again, but she powered through it.

Lydia gave the girls a polite smile, never moving an inch away from Jonathon's side as she spoke, "It's wonderful to meet you both, Jonathon has told me so many terrific things about you, I almost feel like I know you already!"

"Well, we can't wait to get to know you." Macy gestures to the empty lawn chair between them. "Please join us?"

"Oh, how nice!" Lydia smiles, leaning up to press a chaste kiss to Jonathon's cheek before settling elegantly into the seat, her hands folded primly in her lap. "I've only been in Forks for a couple of weeks, I haven't gotten the chance to socialize much."

As Macey chatted to the young woman, much better at the social butterfly role than Piper, Jonathon lurked in front of them for a moment as if to make sure Piper wasn't going to screw things up for him. His dark eyes bore into her own before he turned and returned to the group of men huddled by the porch steps, leaving the three women alone together. Piper swallowed hard past the lump of fear he had caused in her throat, then turned back to the others. "S-so, Lydia, how are you liking Forks?"

"It's so much different than Seattle! Everyone is so kind and welcoming here, I'm so honored that Mr. Holmes chose me as his manager. I've only been out of college for a few months, so it was such a relief to have gotten the job..." Piper began to tune the woman out as she continued to gush about Jonathon and his work. To her, it was a crock of bullshit. Jonathon did nothing out of the kindness of his heart, he only gave kindness when he got something in return. She couldn't help but wonder what he was getting from this young, naive girl.

oooooooooo

That evening, Piper and Macey left the gathering together in the little red convertible, promising Jonathon Piper would be home by nine. Piper unbuckled her wedge heels from her feet and curled up in the seat, relaxing as she laid her head against the headrest. "Those parties are such borefests."

Macey hummed softly, though Piper couldn't tell whether she was disagreeing or agreeing. "Like I said, you need some excitement."

"And like I said, I'm not going to hop into bed with some guy I don't even know just for a few minutes of excitement." Piper rolled her eyes, then frowned as Macey turned to look at her surprised. "What?"

"A few minutes?" Macey clicked her tongue softly in disappointment, patting Piper's knee softly. "If Jacob is anything like Quil, it'd be more like a few hours."

"TMI, Mace." Piper rolled her eyes once more, wondering if doing it so often could cause a migraine, then closing them to rest. She missed the sign that read 'Now leaving Forks' as Macey sped past it and onto the winding road that led into La Push.

"I'm just saying! C'mon, you've only ever slept with Logan, correct?" Macey glanced over at her, a knowing smirk on her glossy pink lips.

Piper scoffed, glad that the makeup she had piled on her bruises also covered her blush as she mumbled, "I've slept with other guys too..."

"Name one."

"...I gave Paul Fremont a blowjob once." Piper bit her lip, trying not to let the other girl know she was right.

"That doesn't count." Macey laughs, pulling up to the parking lot on the edge of the beach. "Come on, Pip. It isn't a bad thing, you just don't know what else is out there. Like that, that is always an option." Macey nudges Piper's leg, pointing at the shirtless boys playing football a few feet away.

Piper opened her eyes, then immediately shook her head. "No way, Macey. Take me home."

"No. We have 6 hours until you have to be home and I'm not letting you back into my car until you give Jacob your number." Macey raises one eyebrow challengingly, her arms crossed over her modest chest as Piper glowers at her.

"Then I'll walk." She straps her wedges back on and gets out, slamming the door to the car and walking towards the road, stomping a little louder than usual to make sure Macey heard.

"Hey, Piper! Wait up!" A familiar, deep voice called out and she faltered, nearly tripping over her own feet as she felt the tetherball string tightening once more. A warm hand gripped her shoulder to steady her and she felt the blush on her cheeks intensify as she stared down at her toes, taking note of the tiny chips in her nude nail polish. As she felt his calloused hand slowly slip down her arm to her hand once he was sure she wasn't about to fall, she felt the breath escape her chest in a soft gasp. "What are you doing?"

"Uhm...nothing," She mumbled lamely, daring to look up into Jacob's dark, happy eyes. The moment she did, she knew she was in trouble. There was no way she could stop herself this time, and Jonathon wasn't here to loom over her like a dark cloud of fear.

"You look beautiful." Jacob smiles, his eyes slowly moving down to her pale yellow dress, his other hand gently playing with the hem of her white cardigan. "Little hot though, isn't it?"

"I get cold easily." The lie rolled off her tongue like water before she even thought about it, but Jacob didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't mention it as he inched closer to her, his hands never leaving her body.

"Oh...Do you want to come hang out? The guys and I were just playing ball..." He trailed off as she shook her head, her arms wrapping around her waist as she took a tiny step back.

"No, no...I just...Macey didn't tell me we were coming here and...I need to get home." She avoided his eyes, knowing she would break down if she saw his warm brown eyes and sunny smile again.

His hands fell away from her body as she moved away and she could feel her heart aching as he mumbled, "Oh...I guess I'll leave you alone then..."

Piper merely nodded, keeping her head down until she knew he had started to walk away. She hurried back to the car and practically dived into the passenger side, glaring at Macey as she crossed her arms. "Take me home. Now."

"No. Piper, he clearly likes you and I think you could have fun with him." Macey sighed, looking into her best friend's eyes pleadingly. "Come on. Just give him your number, he might not even text you back." Piper let out a reluctant groan, then reached into the glovebox to grab something to write on. _She's going to get me killed..._

Jacob was halfway down the beach by the time she hopped back out of the car and called his name. He perked up immediately, turning around and almost bumping into her as she ran towards him, holding her sweater closed over her chest. "Here..." She pushed a crumpled up receipt into his hand, folding his fingers shut over it as he looked down into her nervous eyes, noticing the concealer creasing under her eyes as she tried to avoid his gaze. _Why so much makeup? Friday she barely had any on..._

Before he could reply, she was gone in a flash of yellow and white material and the little red BMW was disappearing down the road. He watched them go before peering curiously down at the paper. _A receipt for tampons and pineapple juice..._ He flipped it over, wondering why she had given it to him, only to grin when he saw the number scrawled across the back.

 **Thank you, everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed! I'm trying to write as much as I can, and I hope I'll have another chapter of this story and How Do You Want It? by next week.**

 **As always, I take all reviews into consideration and I appreciate them all!**

 **I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but the title was a lyric taken from the Camila Cabello song Havana. This chapter's title is a lyric from Into You by Ariana Grande. I don't own either song.**


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